Working conditions and occupational safety among Thai agricultural workers in The State of Israel

Abstract

The study aimed to examine the working conditions, self-protective behavior of workers who had occupationally exposed to pesticides, and the characteristics of work injuries of Thai agricultural workers in The State of Israel. The cross-sectional descriptive study collected data by using questionnaires for 246 Thai agricultural workers who had recently worked in the State of Israel more than one year. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics including frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and median. The results found that most of the Thai workers had multiple tasks, such as pesticides spraying (58.5%), carrying and harvesting products (54.4%). Most were working more than eight hours per day (87.3%) and six to seven days per week. Most of the workers worked in stifling heat environment (92.7%) and some worked in area with poorly ventilation (40.7%). For those who used pesticides, 59.0% of them did not have knowledge about its hazard, while 64.6% could not read the labels of the pesticide containers. Most of the Thai workers had experienced some form of injuries such as muscle pain from inappropriate postures either frequently (33.7%) or less frequently (31.7%). Therefore, relevant authorities should promote workplace safety, training Thai workers, and setup occupational health volunteers to strengthen the health system for Thai workers in the State of Israel.